The Links Return Remake
by inuyasha 303
Summary: Hyrule is once again under attack. The hero is called upon to save it, but Link finds that he can't take the new challenge without the help of some old friends... and some new ones. Four Swords.  rewrite
1. Chapter 1

Description: Hyrule is once again under attack. The hero is called upon to save it, but Link finds that he can't take the new challenge without the help of some old friends... and some new ones.

AN: This is a story that I originally started a few years ago, that I actually haven't finished yet. I know that it's taking forever, but since I started it so long ago when I went back to reread it, and re-familiarize myself with it, I discovered, that in fact, I really don't like it. The basic plot is still ok, but the way I wrote it, doesn't sit well with me at all. Not that I've really gotten too much better, but I'm pretty sure I can fix the biggest problems. (Like… I don't know, the spelling *cough, cough*)

However I don't plan on changing everything little thing. I'm going to just do a thorough edit. I don't plan on deleting the first one, because I don't want to upset someone because I changed his or her favorite line, or something. This isn't going to hinder the update of anything else, because I've got writers block on most of them, or something else already delaying them. Anyway I'm going to go ahead and get started.

.

.

.

The palace ground shook violently. Lightning flashed overhead. Wind howled. Inside the castle pottery smashed to the ground, furniture fell over, men and women ran scared through the halls, half convinced the end of the world had come.

In her chamber Princess Zelda was frantic. Someone or something was attacking the castle. Worse yet she didn't know what it was. The only thing she knew was that whatever it was emitted a dark and powerful aura.

'What is this great evil?' She wondered, risking her safety by standing near the window to again search for the source of the attack.

A bang on the door startled her. "Permission to enter!" Came the loud, urgent voice of her head knight.

Zelda composed herself. It was no time for her to be panicking. It was her kingdom, and she had to be able to face whatever situation she was faced with. She hurried over and yanked open the door. The much older man stood at attention, awaiting her orders. . Another quake rocked the castle. Part of the ceiling collapsed not far from where they stood. 'This castle cant take much more of this...' She thought with a huff.

Determined she squared her shoulder and stood to her full height. It didn't seem to matter that she still barely reached his chest. "Get everyone out of here! Find someplace safe. I don't want anyone to get caught in this." She ran back to her desk and quickly scrawled something on a piece of paper. "Go! I'll catch up!"

He shook his head, and barked her orders out the door to some one out of sight. "My duty is to protect you Princess. I will keep you safe." He crossed his arms as though daring her to make something of it. Even if she ordered him to go, he sure as hell wasn't moving.

She almost took the time to laugh at herself. Of course he wasn't going to leave her. She expected nothing less from her head knight. "Then follow me to the tower. I need to send a message. Make haste." She ran passed him towards the message tower. It was quite a sight to see the fully-grown man struggling to keep up with the light-footed princess. Damn full body armor.

Bird cheeped, and squawked as they opened the tower door. Zelda motioned the knight to stay back, while she approached the pleasant creatures. A gorgeous patient hawk stretched from his nap, before cocking his head at her. Zelda didn't hesitate to approach him. The bird was her most trusted messenger, and she had been the one to train him. "Hurry..." She whispered to him gently, tying the note to his leg with one of her hair ribbons. "Deliver this to the Hero Link. Fly as fast as you can." She held the bird out the window as the castle shook again. The hawk snapped proudly, raising his brown feathered head and taking off into the dark stormy sky. Zelda clasped her hands in prayer. "May the goddesses guide your way."

…

"Epona!" Came a light cry across the field. "Epona! Oh where did you run off to now you silly horse?" The young red-headed Malon wondered out loud, putting her bucket of carrots on the fence and examining her fathers ranch. 'I'll bet she's off playing with Link again. I might as well just give her to him.' She laughed and shook her head. 'Yeah right, when he pries her from my cold dead hands!'

The rumbling in the distance made her look towards the castle. The horizon was pitch black with storm clouds. A cold feeling ran up her spine and she shivered despite herself. 'That's a nasty looking storm. I sure hope it doesn't spread over here...' She took her bucket and hurried to the house.

…

Not far from the ranch, a young Hylian was stretched out on a hill fast asleep. A soft breeze shifted his yellow blond hair, and the tall grass brushed against his pointed ears, making them twitch. He was dressed in a traditional green tunic and hat that made him near invisible to anyone not looking for him. Not far to his left was a long sword and shield. Neither had seen much use in as long a while. A time of peace had finally reached Hyrule. After years of eradication, they seemed to have seen the last of those foul beasts that had been left from Vaati reign.

A hawk's cry pierced the air awaking the young Hero with a start. Link sat up alarmed, his body tensing instantly as he searched out the cause of his disturbance. The hawk spotted him and circled overhead catching his attention.

'A messenger bird.' He realized relaxing. He had received enough of them during his adventure for one reason of another. Yawning, annoyed that his nap had been interrupted, Link held out his arm, and whistled to it. "Who are you looking for?" He called out.

With a final screech, the hawk descended gracefully landing on his out stretched arm. A small smirked tugged at Links lips. "Me huh?" He enjoyed getting mail. It could get lonely at times since he took his mission. He scratched the bird's chest gently in a way he knew the creature would like. "What training you must have to find me out here…" He muttered, examining it over. "Actually you look familiar…" The pink ribbon caught his eye. Then the royal family symbol. 'Its... from The Princess.' He quickly untied the letter, barely taking notice of how fast the hawk took off after.

The text was shaking and Link tensed again. Something was happening at the castle. He made it about halfway through the explanation that they were under attack by some unseen force, when a violent wind ripped the letter out of his hands, and blew it far away. His head snapped upward. The sky, that had been clear blue seconds earlier, had turned to gray then black. Thick heavy rain began to fall, drenching him instantly. 'I've got to get to the castle!' He thought springing to his feet. "Epona!"

His voice was lost under the thunder, and for a moment he doubted his call had reached. Neighing seconds later proved him wrong, as a rich red-brown mare came galloping towards him. She didn't even slow her action a second, as Link preformed a perfectly executed running mount. With a soft tug on the rains he headed her back towards Lon Lon Ranch.

They arrived in recorded time. Epona snorted as he dismounted. She was ready to run. Link patted her nose softly. "Just give me a minute." He promised. Not bothering to knock he opened the door of the small ranch house, and stepped inside. "Malon! Are you here?"

The girl came down the stairs. "Link? Did you bring Epona back? I'm worried about her in this type of weather..." she looked out the window, then back at him.

Link scratched his head kind of guiltily, earning him a suspicious look. "I did bring her but... I need to borrow her afain."

His long time friend fumed instantly. "In this weather!" She snapped, pointing to the window in disbelief. The wind howled, the rain hitting the glass like arrows. It was insane for any living thing to be caught in such a storm. "Didn't Nayru give you any sense! Look at you! You're soaked to the bone! And you want to take my horse out, when she could be resting safe and dry in the barn?"

He stood firm, not saying anything. She was right, and he didn't want to risk Epona's health anymore than his own. But he was a knight, and when his Princess, and his kingdom was in trouble nothing was going to stand in his way.

Her expression faltered as she found herself face-to-face with his determination yet again. That same stubborn expression that had originally convinced her to let him barrow the mare for his mission.

'And I finally got her back too…' She sighed, looking back out the window. "This storm isn't natural is it?" She asked then waved her hand to dismiss both him and the question. "Never mind. Take her... but remember! If she comes back with a single scratch, I will skin you alive!"

Link nodded, not sure whether he should take her threat to heart or not. Nodding goodbye, he dashed outside. "Ready to go?" He asked over the rain, mounting. Epona tossed her head, and hoofed the ground eagerly. "Then let's go!"

…

The rain was coming down even harder, flooding the streets of Castle Town. The water and frequent earthquakes, made it difficult to maintain a steady speed, but Epona was stubborn, and so was her rider. The castle came in to view, and Link leaned forward. Hooves pounded against the stone path. They rushed past the front gates, with out meeting any resistance. Not a soul was around, human or other wise. The letter said they we're under attack but where was the enemy?

The emptiness of the usually so lively place was disturbing. He slowed Epona to a stop at the large front door, and looked around puzzled. "Go find shelter." He said as he dismounted. He trusted Epona to understand his order, and she trotted off towards the stables as he pushed open the familiar doors.

'This place is in ruins...' Link observed sadly. The quakes were farther apart and less intense then they were, but the damage was already done. 'How did this happen? This castle should have been able to stand against the earthquakes. Too many maybe…?' Making his way over piles of collapsed stone, and under leaning pillars he worked through parts of the castle, checked all the rooms not completely destroyed. He was relived when he didn't find any bodies. "Zelda must have moved everyone." He muttered to himself, finding himself in a hall that was still mostly intact. He took the break to ring out his hat, and the bottom of his tunic. "The question is where did they go…?"

"I know." Came a voice behind him.

Link spun around alarmed, drawing his sword in the process. He was in shock that he hadn't noticed someone following him. However the second his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, the voice clicked in his mind, and he almost dropped the weapon in surprise. "Shadow!"

The dark haired Link stood just out of reach smirking at him smugly. "What's up Hero? Miss me?"

Link felt a huge smile come to his face, and he had to restrain the edge to embrace his old friend. "Shadow! Goddesses! Of course I've missed you! It's been five years!" (1)

Shadow was his shadow, from the Dark World. Physically they looked almost identical, minus the coloring. Link found himself surprised by the change Shadow seemed to have gone through since he'd seen him years earlier. Shadow had always been incredibly pale, from never having been in the sun, but his skin had become even lighter. His eyes which had been a much lighter blue, had darkened to a blue-black, and his hair as well, only had a ting of purple left in it. His tunic was a black mirror of the blonds, instead of the one they had worn in their youth.

At the time of their original meeting Shadow had been aligned with evil. He had been the one to kidnap the Princess, and destroyed as much as he could, setting monsters after his light side, and innocents. He had been tired of being ignored. Having no choice but to follow Link without any acknowledgement. Link remembered tricking the shadow into thinking he had switched sides in order to find out his weakness (2). That was when they had become friends. When Shadow found out he was lying, he'd tried to kill him. After wards he had been to one to destroy the Dark Mirror, the only thing keeping him and Vaati in the world of Light.

Link sheathed his sword. After Shadows sacrifice, he would trust the other with his life. "How are you here now?" He asked. "Without the Dark Mirror?"

Shadow smirk only grew. "Oh that's ones easy. The thing that was attacking this castle earlier is pulling things out of my world into yours. The wall between them is thin enough that I can slip through with ease."

Link felt his spirit sink drastically. Things from the Dark World? How 'like Ganondorf' did that sound? Was the king of evil back for revenge? Was it a repeat of five years prier? "Well that's… just great!" Link said feeling almost depressed. "I don't suppose you brought any more good news?" Shadow laughed, bringing up his mood. It really was great to see him. "And where is The Princess?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I got the answers. You're right. Zelda had every one flee. They went to Death Mountain, because this evil hasn't reached there yet." He strolled forward as the ground shook again. Link stumbled, but Shadow didn't have a problem. "You seem to be having a bit of trouble." He said still smirking. Link glared, but stopped when Shadow moved away. "Follow me. There's something you need before you leave."

Link chased after him obediently. "So have you seen this new evil? Where did it come from?"

Shadow looked back. "I've seen it. But I was too interested in returning here, I didn't really take the time to get anything good. It's a shape shifter, of sorts." Link looked around surprised as he suddenly realized where they were headed. "Link... I don't think you can't defeat him alone."

Shadow pushed open the doors to the Four Swords sanctuary. The grassy shrine built to hold the Four Sword. It wasn't a part of the castle, but it could be reached from there, so it was amazing that the stonewall behind the sword was still in tack. The Four Sword, a sword with the power to split its wielder into four separate people. The weapon that had separated him into Green, Blue, Red and Vio, so that he would be able to save The Princess. The sword that taught him how important teamwork was, and made him realize later how lonely traveling alone was.

"Shadow... why are we here?" Link asked, his eyes landing on the golden pyramid surrounding the sword, with a sort of longing. "You know I can't draw the sword again. Zelda, and the maidens sealed it up."

The Dark being nodded. "Listen to me. This thing is too strong for you. It's too strong for both of us together. You know how strong you were when there were four of you."

"But Shadow-"

"Think about it." He interrupted rudely, grabbing a hold of Links shoulder. " How did they seal it?"

Link huffed annoyed. "They... they prayed to the goddesses. Why?"

He ignored the question. "Exactly! So all you have to do... is pray to unseal it!" He grinned and pushed him a step closer to the sword. "Your a Hero. That has to count for something up there."

Link scowled, trying not to get his hopes up. "What are you talking about? There is no way that would work."

"Well, how are you going to know, unless you try."

He gave him a look, but after a minute knelt in front of the sword. He was already soaked by the rain, so it didn't really matter if he knelt in the wet grass. He clasped his hands before him, and sighed. 'Nayru, Din, Farore…'

"Say it out loud." Shadow encouraged teasingly.

Link glared again. "Knock it off." He closed his eyes. 'Goddesses… Please unseal the Four Sword. I think I need it to save Hyrule. And I might not be able to without the sword.' He opened one eye, but when he saw no change he stood up. "See?"

Shadow looked disappointed. "Try again."

"There's no point." He argued. "That didn't work so I'll have to find some other way to-"

The seal cracked. The crack spread, branching out threw the yellow glass like structure, all the way to the bottom. Then it shattered and The Four Sword was free.

Shadow grinned motioning Link forward when he just stood there shocked. The young Hero approached slowly, and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Tossing a hesitant look at Shadow he pulled the blade, still half expecting it not to work. It slid from the stone easily in his hand.

.

.

.

Well there you go. The first remake. I think it sounds better at least. If you think so too, or maybe disagree, tell me. I want to know what you think. And it only took like two days. So whenever I'm suck on things I'll be working on this, I guess…

And for those who haven't read the original, for this story, if you don't like yaoi, then you don't have to read the in between chapters. They are made so that they don't have to have anything to do with the actual story, if you're not interested in that sort of things. Just skip any chapters that have .5 after it, or have a big warning on the top.

(1) I had originally started this story thinking that they had been 15 during Four Swords Plus, but after research I've decided that I actually think that they were 12. Either way, in this story they are supposed to be about 16 to 18. Vaguely stated: whatever you prefer.

(2) This sentence is based on my belief that Green is not the 'original' so when they returned to one, Link remembered doing everything as himself. So it should be… at least I think so.

Comment please.

LoZ © Not me.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Just so you know there won't be any real fast updating on this. I'm only working on it during the times that I don't feel like working on something else, and honestly, I really don't want to catch up to the original story before I get around to finishing it. Although this one did happen kind of fast… Enjoy.

.

.

.

.

Bright light emitted from the sword, as Link held it above his head. Shadow fled into the Dark World before the light could destroy him, as it would. After a moment the light dimmed, and when he returned, instead of one Link there were four. Each with a different color tunic. One of blue, red, purple, and a lighter shade of green then the original.

'It worked...' Shadow thought, as the four looked at each other with big smiles. However before they could begin their reunion, the castle shook again, sending them all to the ground.

The four Links looked up. "We have to get out of here!" The now Green said, instinctually taking up his role as leader. "Lets get to the stables!"

…

They made it out of the castle in one piece, if it could still be considered a castle. Most of the main structure of the building had crumpled. The towers had fallen and the ground was splitting.

They retreated to the stables, which were still standing only because of their distance from the castle. "Does it plan to level this place?" Vio asked, brushing the rubble off his purple tunic. He calmly surveyed their surroundings, calculating heir options. That was just how he was. Calm, and always thinking.

Next to him Green tried to shake off some of the water that had soaked him. The others followed his example. "That's what it looks like." He answered. He was the most focused of the group, acting usually as the peacemaker, and keeping them all from killing each other, or themselves.

Optimistic, over emotional, happy-go-lucky Red, was visibly restraining himself. He was the more tender side of Link. Gentle and caring, he was the one with the most difference, physically, from the others. Somehow he ended up being a few inches shorter than the rest of them.

Blue glared at the shorter boys tactic. "Don't even think about it." He warned. He had always had a shorter temper than the rest of them, but he was also the most protective. He seemed to have silently deemed himself Reds protector. At least when he wasn't beating on the boy himself.

Green laughed, fluffing Reds hair softly. Despite his wearing green, and the fights he had over it with Blue, he wasn't 'the original Link'. He had claimed that he was in the beginning of their first adventure, but had realized over time that there were something's that Link had and hadn't cared about, that he did or did not. "Lets not get off to a bad start Blue. You know how he is. Come on Red, go ahead."

Red turned to him with wide water filled eyes, and a big smile. "Oh Green!" He exclaimed, jumping him with an insane bear hug. "I missed you guys so much!" The boy released him, and latched onto their other three companions instead. "Its so good to be…separate again!"

"Stop freaking me out!" Blue yelled, pushing him off. Having gotten used to Blues personality long ago, Red simply hugged him again. "Gah!"

Vio smirked at then. "Technically Red, we have been together all this time."

"Not the same thing." Red argued, finally letting Blue free, and moving back to Green.

"I have to agree." Shadow said, throwing an arm around Vios shoulders. The blond grinned. He had been the part of Link to befriend Shadow originally. The others had thought that he had really trued to the dark side. Green had been the one to figure it out when Vio pretended to kill him in a death match for Shadow. Even if it had only started as a trick, the friendship they had developed was real.

Epona trotted over to them and Red hurried over to scratch her side lovingly. She snorted at her rider's sudden multiplication, but other wise seemed to accept them, nuzzling Reds cheek.

Green sighed. "We'll have to return her to Lon Lon Ranch. Malon will have a fit if we don't get her back. But we need to go to Death Mountain first and find Princess Zelda."

Blue nodded. "Alright. Just one question. Who gets to ride?"

"Not you." Vio said coolly, crossing his arms.

"Hey!" He argued.

Reds hand flew up. "I wanna do it! Can I ride her?" Blue opened his mouth to protest, but Green threw up his hands.

"She's not going to carry any of us." He declared, taking the fairest way out. "It wont take us that long to reach Death Mountain. We don't have time to go back to the ranch, and we can't leave her here. But no one is riding her. Understood?"

The others looked at each other, and then nodded reluctantly. "I suppose that means that we cant wait until the storm passes right?" Red asked, not looking forward to getting drenched again.

Lighting flashed across the sky as Shadow peered out the doorway. "This storm is unnatural. Made by the unbalance."

"Then it's not going to stop any time soon." Vio concluded. "We can't risk sitting around, and missing our opportunity." Red nodded slowly with understanding.

Green nodded, headed out the doors. "Alright then, Lets get going."

…

Goron Village: Dead Ahead.

The five Links, were weary and hungry by the time they reached the mountain. It was a three day walk to the now abandoned village of Kakariko, and almost a whole day more to get close to the top of the mountain. The constant rainfall had followed then right up the outskirts of that province, then had cut off abruptly. Hunting had been nearly impossible the entire journey, and they hadn't yet had a good chance to bathe or to get any decent sleep. So needless to say most of them were glad to see the sign indicating their arrival.

"That doesn't sound very inviting..." Red said worriedly, reading the piece of wood.

"Oh don't be a pansy!" Blue snapped. After three days of all that his temper was even hotter than usual. "And don't be stupid! Its not like we haven't been up here before!"

The outburst made Red shrink back into himself. Green almost stopping to glare back to his blue-clad clone. "Blue! Don't yell at Red! It's not his fault! Say you're sorry!"

Not one to follow orders, Blue turned his anger on Green. "Don't tell me what to do! I don't have to listen to you! I still think I should be the leader!" He continued up after him.

Vio sighed, glancing over at Shadow. The sun was still out, but the pass they were in had enough shade on one side for him to continue on with them. "I actually think they were getting along better last time."

His Dark World counterpart smirked. "Its probably because they missed fighting with each other all the time. Oh, but you know they wont admit it." Vio chuckled in agreement. They continued walking up the mountain, ignoring the other threes bickering. After a moment, Shadow looked over again. "Um...Hey Vio?"

Vio blinked up at the light, judging how much time they had left, and how long it would take them to reach the top. "Yes?" He replied.

Shadow looked away uncomfortably. "About that time I still worked for Vaati. I wanted to apologies for that whole 'trying to burn you at the stake' thing..."

Vio looked at him surprised. After Shadow came over to their side, Vio had thought that the other would want to forget about his time working for the enemy. "Don't worry about it, Shadow." He muttered looking back ahead. He wouldn't blame Shadow for doing what he had. If he had found a traitor in their midst, he would have taken action. Maybe not gone as far as to tie the person to a rock pillar and tossing them into a volcano, but…

Shadow looked over relived. "Then you forgive me?"

Vio thought about it and smirked. "No." Shadows eyes widened with disappointment. Vio had been a close friend to him, his first friend. And despite all that happened he didn't want to lose that friendship. Vio laughed, reaching into the shade to grab his shoulder. "I'm joking. I forgave you a long time ago."

Shadow smiled.

"Hey guys!" Green called, getting their attention. "There's a Goron up ahead!"

The Gorons were a race of rock eaters that were indigenous to Death Mountain. They were a rather peaceful race that could survive insanely hot temperatures, and provided weapons and machinery across Hyrule. "Brother!" The bolder-like man shouted, with a wave. "Welcome! Your Princess asked us to keep an eye out for you!" His voice was gravely, but warm. "I mean… Brothers! Welcome!" He greeted them all with strong pats that nearly knocked them over. "Come this way."

The Gorons size made him slow, but he was familiar with the terrain, and the others had a hard time keeping up. "I'm surprised the Princess would bring everyone up here." Green said, looking around at the naturally unsafe volcanoe.

"Well I'm not." Shadow said calmly. "I told you. This is the only place left that hasn't been tainted by the new evil."

The Goron lead them inside and to a well lit cavern, where they were able to wash up. "Sister Zelda is in the next room over. She is panicked, Brothers. Even in our best hot spring she refuses to relax."

Blue snorted. "Sounds like Zelda all right." The others nodded in agreement.

When they were clean enough, they went thought the door and found Princess Zelda kneeling in the center of a large room. Her eyes we're closed tight in prayer. Having had no time to change before fleeing the castle, her formal dress had been worn by travel but it had clearly been washed.

Most of her Knights were in the room with her, as well as one of her hand-maidens, and a few people from her council. Links father, Zeldas Head Knight, was the first to notice them, and stood up with a start. "Link…?"

Shadow stepped back, fading into a dark corner. Red gave the man a big smile, while the other three gave a nervous kind of wave. "Hey Dad."

The man drew himself up to his full height, ignoring his surprise, and cleared his throat. "Princess. The Heroes you summoned have arrived."

"Heroes?" She asked, finally opening her eyes.

As soon as her gaze fell on them, they knelt where they were in respect. "Princess." They greeted.

She was speechless as she observed each of them. "I thought Princess Zelda only summoned one Hero." One of the newer Knights said aside to one of the others.

Zelda sprang to her feet, her golden hair flying. "What did you-!" She began, before the mountain shook, sending most of them to the dirt floor.

Vio steadied himself, looked around. "An eruption?"

"No…" Shadow said, glaring at the ceiling, as if it was the source of their problems. "It's here."

Blue stood up, and drew his sword, an eager grin on his face. "Then I guess its time to fight!"

"You can't take that out now!" Vio yelled. The ground shook and knocked Blue over, the sword nearly hitting him in the process.

Green scowled. "What are we supposed to do? We can't fight like this!"

**"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Boomed a dark voice over head. **"SO THESE ARE THE FEARLESS AND MIGHTY HEROES THAT DEFEATED LORDED GANONDORF!" **A waves of terror racked down their spines as the voice that sounded like pure evil laughed again. **"HOW PATHETIC!"**

Blue scowled getting to his feet again, although this time without his sword. "Oh yeah! Why don't you come down here and say that to my face, you cowered!"

**"FOOL!"** The voice bellowed causing the ground to shake yet again. **"THE LAND OF HYRULE IS NOW MINE! I COULD DESTROY YOU RIGHT NOW IF I WANTED TOO! HOWEVER I WANT YOU TO BARE WITNESS MY POWERS, MIGHTY 'HEROES'! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

The few candles that illuminated the room suddenly flickered out, and the ground continued to shake. Princess Zelda screamed in what sounded like pain, followed quickly by similar sounds from each of the rooms occupants. Green jumped up, but the complete darkness prevented him from doing anything. "Zelda! Where are you?"

"Link!" She screamed desperately. "I'm-" However something cut her off. In the next second, the earth grew still again, and the room was eerily silent.

"Zelda?" Green called softly.

The name echoed through the room unanswered. The five held their breath, listening for any indication of another presence, but there was none.

Vio hurried to the wall, and searched around to find a candle to light. "Don't bother." Shadow told him, knowing what he would only be disappointed once he did. Vio ignored him, lighting the thing anyway.

The room was vacant of anyone besides themselves. "Zelda... Dad..." Red called in disbelief, secretly hoping that if he said their names they would return. "Where- Where did they go?" He asked, turning to Green with fear in his eyes.

Green couldn't believe it either, and it was Vio that answered. "I believe our new enemy took them..." He said angrily, the candle shaking in his hand. "... And we let it." Blue swore colorfully, hitting the wall.

Green took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. "Well then, we need to take them back." He said, before storming out of the room.

The others followed him. "But how do we do that?" Red asked, looking around as they went. They passed no human or Goron, and it didn't take long to realize that everyone was missing. The emptiness made him shiver and move closer to the others for comfort.

Shadow stopped. "I'll go to the Dark World and see if I can't get some information on what we're dealing with. Or at least see if I can find were everyone has been taken too."

"Good idea." Green approved, before the dark Link vanished. "In the mean time we're going to head to Lon Lon Ranch. We have to return Epona any way. That will give us time to think of a plan." The others agreed eagerly.

.

.

.

.

I really am liking this version better. I definitely think that its improved, although I changed more in this chapter than I did in the last one.

Comment.

LoZ © Not Me.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This chapter went from four to six pages. That doesn't really satisfy me, but it's better. And maybe the earlier chapters of this thing will come a little faster…

.

.

.

.

The Links encountered absolutely no one on their journey to Lon Lon Ranch. Not a soul appeared before them on the road. "Maybe everyone is just staying at home." Red suggested, his head turning up towards the black sky. The ominous clouds hadn't cleared once, and the idea of them being all alone wasn't sitting well with him.

"Yeah sure. Life just stops because of a little bad weather." Blue grumbled, glaring at his optimistic companion. He walked at the front next to Green holding a lantern.

"It could be possible." Vio argued, mostly for Reds sake. "Unfortunately it doesn't look like that's the case. Blue has a point. For once." Shadow was still in the Dark World collecting information. The rain, thankfully, had stopped when everyone had vanished. Small blessings.

"Goddesses help us..." Green replied solemnly. "It seems like we're going to need it."

A cold wind began to blow when they reached the ranch. Red let out an odd sound when the place appeared too be as abandoned as anywhere else. "Oh no."

"Malon!" Green called, running through the front door without knocking. Chances were no one would answer anyway. "Malon! It's me! If you're here: answer!" The house was silent. Quiet like it never was.

Blue entered and scowled. "They're gone too then."

"What do we do now?" Vio asked. "We can't leave Epona here with no one to care for her." He wasn't surprised. All of Hyrule was empty.

Green nodded, thinking about their options when a soft voice came from the stairs. "L-Link?"

Red looked up with a smile. "Malon!"

Malon came out slowly. Her eyes where red with tears, and her dress was covered in mud. "Thank The Three you're here!" She exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs and throwing herself into Greens arms. "I was so scared! A bunch of monsters came in and a-attacked us! It was horrible!"

Vio and Blue exchanged glances, but Green didn't move. Her strange behavior was understandable in the situation. "How did you escape?" He asked. "And where's your father?"

"I-I hid from them... but they managed to grab Daddy!" she sniffed. "Now I'm all alone..."

Green patted her head softly, not sure what to do. They couldn't very well leave the girl alone, but it would be impossible to bring her with them. Behind him Vio frowned. "Malon?" He inquired calmly.

She looked over. "Huh? Why... Who are you?" She asked. "Why are there four Links? Which... which ones the real one?" She stepped back looking scared.

Vio held out his hands with a smile. The same smile he gave Shadow when he was convincing him they were on the same side. "Malon. Tell me. Who is Epona?"

Blue scowled, annoyed that the purple swordsman would ask such a trivial question. "What the hell Vio? She knows who her own freaking-!"

"Shut up!" Green snapped, catching on. He quickly released the girl and stepped away from her.

She smiled sweetly. "Don't be ridiculous Link. I know who Epona is." She held out her hand towards him. "What are you doing?"

Green stepped back again, taking the hilt of his sword. "Answer the question." He said firmly.

Her mouth opened then snapped shut. All the sweetness vanished instantly. "Oh for the love of Ganondorf." Her hands went to her hips. "And here I thought I was doing oh-so well. What gave me away?"

Red gasped in realization. "Oh Goddesses! Your not Malon?" It wasn't something that should have startled him, but it did.

She sneered at him. "It seems like you're stupid as well."

Red sniffed taken aback. Blue twitched angrily. "Hey! No one calls Red stupid but me! Especially not some weak-ass, face-stealing, loser!"

The Malon-look-alike literally burst into flames. **"IMPUDENT! HOW DARE YOU INSAULT ME?" **A cold, fierce, wind blew in through the open door and snuffed out the flame in the lantern. **"THE FOUR OF YOU WILL WANDER MY KINGDOM ALONE, AND MISSERABLE UNTIL YOU DIE!"** The flaming Malon disappeared, leaving them in complete darkness.

Red blindly grabbed hold of Blues arm, terrified of getting separated from his friends. "I'm scared..."

The short-tempered swordsman tried to shake him off annoyed. "Let go! Jeez, don't be such a baby, Red. I'm strong enough to take on this joker."

"As long as we stay together, we should be ok." Vio said thoughtfully. They weren't strong enough to take out such a force yet but together they should be able to make it through.

**"HAHAHAHA!"** Came the evil voice, once again overhead. **"IF THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SEPERATE YOU!"**

Red held tighter to Blues arm. That had happened before. On their original journey, the four of them had been separated by a boat crash. It had not been one of the more pleasant experiences in Reds life. "Not again…" He whimpered.

"Outside! Quick!" Green ordered. They had no chance of defending themselves if they couldn't even see their enemy. They hurried outside, their eyes adjusting to the darkness. The clouds rumbled, as if with laughter. "Damn it. Any ideas Vio?"

"I'll tell you when I come up with one." He answered, deep in thought. "We don't even know what our opponent is."

The ground shook. **"SAY GOODBYE TO EACH OTHER FOREVER!"**

Wind started to whip around them. They moved closer to each other, as though that would prevent their severance. Red closed his eyes tight against tears that threatened to fall. "Goddesses help us!" He cried.

His words were lost under the wind, but as he said them, a beam of light shot down from the clouds, hitting the ground before them. Green and Vio covered their eyes, while Blue turned around to protect Red. The wind ceased its blowing. _"Hero."_ Came a mystical voice from the light. The sound surrounded them, covering them for a moment with a feeling of warmth and safety. _"I have heard your plea."_ They all looked at Red, who smiled sheepishly. _"I will lend you the power of light."_

The light brightened, forcing them to cover their eyes again. The four boys gasped as the felt the familiar sensation of splitting, like when they pulled out the Four Sword. It ended quickly, and the beam's light dampened. They all turned towards it curiously.

Standing, right in the center of the light, was another Hylian. He looked to be about their height, with pure white hair, under a white hat like theirs. He also wore a white tunic that matched theirs, white shirt, and leggings. The only color on him other than white was brown, on his belt and boots, just like theirs.

With deliberate slowness, the new figure drew his sword, identical to the Four Sword, but with a white handle and a lighter blade. Then he held it over his head, pointing it towards the sky. "By the power of the Goddess Farore, I banish the darkness!" A ray of light shot from his sword, into the clouds. Within a minute the clouds above them dispersed, revealing a bright sunny sky.

Red smiled widely. The evil that had threatened them was gone. Or at least if it was still there it didn't make itself known. Silently celebrating the small victory the four of them run over to the stranger. "Wow! That was amazing!" Red praised. "How did you do that?"

"I have a better question." Vio said suspiciously, motioning to the others to stay back until they were sure he was safe. "Who are you?"

"I am..." The stranger stopped, thinking it over before turning to them. "I guess you could call me Shining Link."

.

.

.

.

I know that I said that I wasn't going to change every little think, which I am not, but I have recently come up with some aspects that I am going to add to this story, that I should have added to the original, but didn't think of. It won't change the basic story line, but I'm just warning.

Comment.

LoZ (c) Not me.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: With every chapter I write, I end up adding more things. But I'm still not changing the basic plot, so I think that it's ok.

* * *

A soft, gentle wind blew through Lon Lon Ranch, brushing past four half-stunned Links. The newly exposed sun glared down at them, and the only noises to be heard were the sounds of chirping, or horses neighing, confused at the strange weather. Was he serious? Shinning Link?

The new Link watched them silently, sheathing his sword. He was darker than them. His skin tone, like he spent all day and more basking in the sun. And when one looked closely it was impossible to miss that he was glowing. His skin, his hair, and clothes were all glowing with some sort of inner light. His eyes, however were the most unususal. They were simply white. Very white, with just the tiniest hint blue running through them, nearly impossible to notice. And they were completely void of pupils. Very serious, very empty eyes.

Blue, of course, was the first one speak, shattering the peace with an obnoxious comment. "Just what we needed..." He grumbled. "Another Link."

"Blue!" Green snapped, although it was that comment that broke everyone out of the semi-trance they were in. Red and Vio immediately began circling the stranger with interest, while Blues only real action was to glare at him.

"How are you glowing like that?" Red asked curiously.

The Shinning Link didn't seem to hear him. He was watching Vio with a blank expression, like he was quite sure what he was doing.

Red poked him in the arm and the boy looked at him. "How are you glowing like that?" He repeated. "Where did you come from? What was that light thingy?"

"Red." Green said in a scolding tone. "Don't be rude. We have to introduce ourselves first." He stood in front of Shining Link and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Green, that's Red, Vio and the grumpy guy over there is Blue."

Shinning looked at each of them before shaking his hand. "You as well."

"Are you here to join us?" Red piped up again, not really bothered that none of his questions were being answered.

His response came fast. "I am." The smaller boy lit up. "Farore heard you cry out, and The Three sent me down to help you defeat this evil."

They were all surprised at that. That was even stranger then when they drew the Four Sword the first time. The Goddesses weren't known for interfering in the lives of mortals. At least not that directly.

"Are you an angel?" Red inquired with wide eyes.

"I am mortal. The same as you." He touched his sword. "That light was Farore clearing away the evil in this area. As for this…" He observed his hand, indicating that he was talking about the glowing thing. "It is simply how The Three made me."

Red smiled warmly. "That's so neat Shinning." He stopped and made a face. "Is that really your name? It's kind of awkward to say… How about a nickname!"

Blue rushed him and grabbed the front of his tunic, shaking him. "You and freaking nicknames! Knock it off!" It had been Reds idea in the beginning to use nicknames instead of having four Links. It was an easy choice to just go with color of their tunics, with Vio being short for Violet. Blue, of course, had been against the idea, refusing to go by anything other than Link at first.

Red wasn't bothered by the assault, taking right through Blues attempt to shut him up. "We can't call you White, cause that sounds weird too. And so does Light." He thought about it. "You've got white hair, and are glowing like a ghost-Oh! I know! How about Spirit!"

Blue released him with a groan, his efforts having proven useless. The light being didn't seem to be bothered by the name, or the show the two had put on. "Call me whatever you like." He said. "The Three did not tell me something I had to go by."

"Spirit it is then!" Red said beaming. He really liked his nicknames.

Green sighed, then clapped his hands. "Alright. With that settled, we should get moving. Anyone have an idea where we should go next?"

Everyone pointed in a different direction. Green sighed.

Vio folded his arms thoughtfully. "We don't have any particular course of action. Until Shadow gets back, we don't even know what it is we're fighting."

Red through his hand in the air. "I think we should go Spirits way!" He looked at the light boy with a smile. "If we just go around to all the dark areas, can you just light them up? Then maybe everyone will come back."

They waited for a minute until Spirit nodded, then they went off.

...

"Spirit!" Green called. "You're getting to far ahead again!"

The newly dubbed Spirit turned back to look at them impatiently. It wasn't the first time he had had to stop and wait for them, and Green got the feeling it wouldn't be the last.

'He is either a faster walker then us, or he's using more energy.' Green realized, shaking his head. 'If he isn't careful, he'll get too tired to walk soon. Actually, we don't know if that's true or not.' After a moment, he looked back. "I'm going to scout ahead with Spirit, since he seems to be in a rush."

Vio and Red nodded understanding, but Blue became tense. "I'm going too!" He stated.

"We don't need that many people scouting ahead." Green argued, not waiting for a reply before running ahead.

"The hell Green!" Blue snapped chasing after him.

Red laughed, watching them leave before turning to pet Epona on the nose. Vio was right, they couldn't have just left her. They had also let all the cows and other animals out to graze inside the fence, hoping it wouldn't decide to rain in the sunny areas for a while.

Vio looked up from the map he was reading. "Ah good. Some quiet." Red laughed at that too.

Before long however, just as the others had gotten to far ahead to see, a voice called out from the nearest cluster of trees. "Hey guys! Guys!"

They stopped short and Red looked around. "Is that Shadow?"

"Vio!"

"That's definitely Shadow." The purple Link answered. He folded up the map and headed towards the grove. "Go get the others."

Red nodded excited, mounting Epona and galloping after them.

Shadow crossed his arms as Vio approached him. He was leaning against a tree, not looking all that pleased. "It's about time. What happened here? It was so dark when I left."

"We have a new friend." Vio stated, filling him in on what had happened. Shadow seemed interested. "Did you find out anything we need to know?"

"I did." He answered. "I'll tell you when the others show up." He rubbed his arm with a slight frown. "Although, I also found out that I'm not quite as welcome in the Dark World as I used to be."

Vio looked at him startled. "What do you mean? It's your world."

"That doesn't mean I'm welcome there." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "This evil has promised us that if it succeeds in dominating this world that we will be able to live in this world, and that this time the people of Light will be our shadows. Most of them are on his side." Something about the entire thing disturbed him. Perhaps it was because he knew what that was like. Being so bitter towards his own light world counterpart that he had to follow behind without choice. The shadows were just following their natural jealousy of the light.

Vio frowned, wondering if the evil actually had that kind of power. "Should we be worried about killing people's shadows?"

Shadow looked amused. "No, don't worry about it. They wont have any real form anyway."

Vio made a hand motion, and Shadow realized he had to give a full explanation. "Well, let me see if I can say this right… The wall between this world and my world is thin and our worlds overlap each other. That's why you can see into my world, and I can see into yours." Vio nodded understanding. He had assumed that much before. "However the wall is just strong enough that the worlds stay separated. When the wall became thinner, I began felling this world again. The air, the colors, the solidness of this world is different from mine. I'm not sure the exact mechanics of it, but when I focus on the feelings of this world I can come here."

Vio nodded again. He had been inside the Dark World once before. It had felt very different from his. "So the other shadows can't come over, since they've never been here before and don't recognize this world."

Shadow shook his head. "They shouldn't be able too. And they cant. On their own." He motioned down to his own body. "This form is mine. I am here. The evil is making fake bodies that my people are controlling from the Dark World. If you attack them, their forms will disappear, but you won't actually kill them. Besides, a shadow won't die until its light side dies."

"I see." Vio wasn't surprised. That was also something that he had come realize. That was the most logical reason why Shadow had wanted him on the same side the first time around.

"Shadow! Vio!" Green called.

They turned around and watched as the others ran up to them. Spirit and Shadow eyed each other, but it wasn't too clear what they were thinking. Shadow stepped back when he got to close. "Why did you have to show up all the way back here!" Blue complained.

Shadow smirked at him teasingly. "Just to make you have to come all the way back Blue." The short tempered boy raised a fist warningly.

Green knocked it down, turning to Shadow expectantly. "Did you learn anything?"

"A bit." He answered honestly. "Not as much as I had planned. Our enemy is a shape shifter that goes by the name Malachi." Blue snickered and Green punched his arm. "I don't know where he came from, or what he actually looks like. This is the first time that I've ever heard of him."

"What about everyone? Did you find out where they went?"

Shadow shook his head. "I searched as over but they aren't in the Dark World. I don't know where they are." He seemed annoyed that he couldn't gather anything else.

"What you found out is helpful." Vio insisted. "It's more than we knew before." He turned to the others. "Apparently he's convinced the shadows to fight us."

That wasn't good information to any of them. Shadow had been such a challenge when he was evil. Fighting creatures that couldn't be harmed in the darkness wasn't easy.

"This means we'll have to build up on force gems again, right?" Red asked.

Force gems were small crystals of energy, that were found in all living (and some none living) things. When they collected enough of them in The Four Swords, they had the power to vanquish evil.

Green nodded. "Although there might be enough left in the swords."

Spirit looked ahead. "We should keep going." He said.

Shadow frowned, but the others nodded. "All right. Then I'll meet up with you guys later." Without saying anything else, he vanished.

Red blinked, his eyes going wide as he pointed to where Shadow had just been. "Wa! Why doesn't he want to walk with us?"

Spirit and Green both turned and started walking again. Vio went along with them, with Red and Blue following. Vio crossed his arms. "He cant come with us now Red. The light, remember?"

Red shook his head. "But, I though that since he is here without the mirror, that it wouldn't be a problem, or something…"

"He is still our shadow." Vio informed him. "He needs to be careful."

Spirit glanced over his shoulder said from the front. "The creature is a shadow." He repeated. "Are you certain that it's wise to trust such a thing?"

Vio glared at that. He didn't like the way Spirit said that. "Shadow isn't a 'creature', and we trust him completely. Its because of him that we were able to defeat Vaati."

The light Link gazed at him evenly, before looking back ahead. "I was not aware of that."

Green, Red and Blue exchanged looks.

…

Green ran ahead and pushed open the doors to an old temple. "Come on guys! Hurry up! Get in!" The wind whipped around them, pelting them with sharp rain. The others ran inside. Blue turned around to help Green push the large door closed against the wind.

"To The Three!" The short-tempered boy exclaimed, trying to shake off as much of the water as he could, much like an aggravated dog. "That storm came out of nowhere!"

"I wouldn't say 'nowhere'." Vio remarked, pointlessly brushing some of the rain off his tunic. "This must be Malachi's doing."

Red pouted. The flame in the lantern had gone out because of the downpour, so he was standing close to Spirits glowing form. He cast more light then the small flame had anyway. "But if this is Malachi doing, can't Spirit just make it all go away?"

All heads turned to Spirit expectantly, and he blinked at the sudden attention. "Is it possible?" Green asked.

Spirit closed his eyes. "…No." He answered. "There is too much evil in this area. Something strong. Something deeper in this temple."

Blue grinned, smashing his fist against his hand. "Great! Lets go kick some ass."

Green looked around at the large stone room. It was mostly dark, but also over grown with plants, with a couple of crumpled pillars. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here in years."

"Probably because no one has." Blue relit the lantern, and walked around the room. However after a minute, he realized that there were no doors, besides the front one. "There's no way in."

"Of course there's a way in."

Red beamed, turning towards the voice. "Shadow!"

Shadow was sitting on one of the windowsills, looking casual. "What took ya? I've been here for hours."

"Sorry." Green said with a grin. "Blue and Red held us up."

"Hey!" Blue snapped.

Shadow hopped down, making sure to stay far enough from Spirits glow. "Ya'll have been in temples before, haven't ya?" He aimed this in Blues direction, and Blue glared. "You just have to find the switch."

Red tilted his head. "Have you already been through this temple then?"

Shadow shook his head. "Not all of it. I can only get so far with my shadow abilities."

Vio looked around and then smashed the only pot in the room with his sword. Underneath the shattered pottery was a raised tile. "Found it." He muttered, stepping on it. In the back of the room part of the wall swung open.

"Good job Vio." Green said. "Let's go." They started into the depths of the abandoned temple.

* * *

Comment! They make me happy! (Why didn't anyone point out that I had not submitted the right chapter here! Gosh! How embarrassing!)

LoZ (c) Not me.


	5. Chapter 4:5

**Please read:** For those of you who haven't read the original, this and all other chapters labeled .5 are not needed to read the rest of the story, and should not be read unless you are a fan of yaoi. For those of you that have read the original… I felt another chapter was needed here, since 6.5 jumps right into Vio and Shadows relationship without any real explanation.

Warning: Yaoi (well, it's more like shounen-ai).

* * *

"Great, so… which way do we go?" Blue asked crossing his arms.

The six of them had only been in the temple a few minutes when they suddenly found themselves confronted with multiple choices. There were three paths down halls too long to see the end of, and one doorways, which had a shinny silver lock right in the center, indicating they wouldn't be able to pass. Green approached the door, which was barred and looked back. "Vio? What's the map say?"

Vio carefully observed the old map they had found the room before. Spirit was standing beside him, acting as a light since Vio determined the map far less-likely to catch fire that way. That had happened once when Link had held the fading paper far too close to his lantern while trying to read it. The memory amused them all. All except Blue, who was pretty sure it his side of Link which had caused that.

"It seems that we'll need to go down each path." He said. "In order to unlock that one that is."

Green walked over so he could look at the map as well. "That will take too long. We'll have to split up."

Red jumped grabbing hold of Blues arm, claiming him as his traveling partner. Any plan that involved them separating never sat well with the smallest Link, but since it was likely to happen anyway, he wanted to make sure that he got to Blue first.

"But we only have one lantern!" He argued as Blue tried, violently, to shake him off.

"We've got Spirit too." Green corrected. "We can make two groups."

"I don't need a light." Shadow pointed out smugly.

Green nodded. "Alright, Spirit, Vio and I will take this path. Red, Blue, I want you two to see what's down there. Shadow, do you think you can take that hall by yourself?"

Shadow arched an eyebrow, in a very Vio-like manner. "Who do you think I am, Green?"

Green laughed sheepishly as Blue sputtered and then immediately started to complain. "What! Why the hell do I have to be paired up with Red!" Red looked a little hurt by the outburst, but Blue stormed on without noticing. "If anything I can handle my own room! You take him; he will only slow me down!"

With a glare Green reached over and shoved him hard. Blue was well known for saying stupid things. Especially when it had to do with the normally optimistic blond, and it usually left the little one feeling down. "He has to go with you, because, _**Stupid**_, he keeps saving your ass!"

Blue fumed. Irritated by both the action and the words, he grabbing the front of Greens shirt and shook him. "What? I've saved his ass way more then he's saved mine!"

Green scoffed, grabbing Blue's wrists and attempting to detach them. "Not quite!"

"What?"

"I know all about what happened in that ice cave." Green countered slyly. "That proves that you need him more then he needs you."

Blue flushed. The first time they had pulled the Four Sword, he had gotten tricked by an enemy and ended up frozen solid inside a cave. If Red hadn't come along with his fire rod, Blue would have remained trapped there forever.

He released Green only to turn on Red. "You told him!"

Red shrunk. "W-W-Well…"

Shadow laughed a little, separating the two and putting himself between them. "As much as I love to hear you guys bicker; don't you think you should save it until after we're done here?"

Nerves unwound at Shadows interruption. He had a point. "Yeah, we don't have time for this." Green said. "Come on. Let's get moving." He started down his way, Spirit and Vio walking along with him. Shadow disappeared, presumably to explore his section.

The room got much darker once Spirit was out of sight, and Blue turned to Red making the boy instinctively hold up the lantern as a shield to defend against his wrath. However instead of lashing out, Blue just snatched the light out of his hands, and turned to their hall looking annoyed.

"Whatever. Just stay close." Blue ordered. Red nodded, scampering along after him.

It was a very long temple, with a lot of empty hallways. Blue attacked every enemy that came at them with vigor, not really leaving much for the little blond to do. Although Red didn't really enjoy fighting, he wished that Blue would give him to opportunity to prove himself useful to him...

Red wanted to be helpful. Especially to Blue. Whom anyone could see he respected, and trusted, and wanted to be with. He countered Blues aggression with a smile, and very rarely ever got angry back. He was a very good counterbalance for the short-tempered blond.

They entered a room, which was pitch black. "Stay on your toes..." Blue whispered stepping forward. The room was far too big to be illuminated from the lantern alone, so Blue hooked it too his belt and readied his shield. The hair on his arm was standing on end, and he didn't need the cold chill that ran up his spine to know there was something else in the room with them. "Damn it, I cant see anything..."

"Oh!" Red exclaimed eagerly. "I can help!" He whipped out his fire rod, and fired into the open space. The fire illuminated the room, revealing multiple enemies, most with bows and arrows. The enemy shied away from the light, but it didn't reach far enough to harm them.

"Red!" Blue yelled, jumping back. His arm wrapped around his smaller companion and pulled him close behind his shield as a dozen or so arrows collided with it. "Don't move!"

Red blushed. "O-Ok..!"

Blue pulled them down to kneeling position to avoid getting hit in the legs. "Keep your head down…" Red obeyed instantly. "Alright, when they stop, I'm going to charge them on the left side. Can you cover me?"

Red clutched his fire rod. "You can count on me." He said firmly. He wouldn't let anything happen to Blue.

Blue had a similar thought. "Here." He freed his arm carefully without breaking cover. "Hold onto my shield; I'll be faster without it. Keep yourself covered."

Red instantly tried to argue but the last arrow hit and Blue grabbed his arm.

"Now."

The smaller hero grabbed the shield and shot a long stream of flames to the right side. The room was rather large, so he couldn't get most of them but the ones that had moved forward in an attempt to catch them off guard were engulfed in the fire and disappeared with in puffs of smoke. Those that weren't vanquished, were momentarily blinded by the sudden light, and Blue used that as a cover to rush the left side as planned.

The archers clearly weren't expecting him, and didn't seem to be prepared for any sort of hand-to-hand combat. With in seconds he had dispatched his side, and Red had charged ahead, finishing off the rest.

"Are you alright Blue?" He asked running over.

"I'm fine." He answered, subtly checking Red over for injury when he walked around him to continue exploring the room.

"I don't see a door anywhere." Red said after a minute.

"A dead end?"

"Green said that we had to go down all the paths, there must be something here."

Blue stopped at a wall of vines. "Hey Red, check this out. I'll bet there's a ledge up there." A second later a flare went up and confirmed his theory. "Alright, I'll go up, and check it out."

"I'm going too." Red said, grabbing his arm.

"No. You stay down here and keep and eye out."

Red did as he told, using the fire rod on its lowest setting for light as Blue climbed up. (1) It let off a very dim light, but it was ok if Blue was only a jump away. Up top Blue found what he was looking for: A wooden peg jutting out of the ground.

"Perfect." He muttered. He recognized it from other temples. Grinning he whipped out his massive hammer and smashed it into the ground. "That should do it." He jumped down, landing with a roll. "All set, lets head back."

Red smiled at him, the special smile that was reserved just for Blue. "Mm-hm!"

"And stay close." He reminded him, ignoring it when Red practically pressed against his side. Normally 'stay close' meant 'stay with in a few feet' or something. However as long as the others weren't around, he wouldn't say anything.

After all, Red was special.

...

"So did you actually see the Three?" Green asked, inspecting the rock wall that blocked their way. Vio stood with his back to them arrow cocked.

Spirit looked at him. "I did not have eyes to see out of."

Green pressed on a rock that jutted out and the wall opened. "Then what did they tell you?"

"Nothing. They have not spoken to me in words like these."

Green motioned him forward slowly, not wanting to send Spirit in first, but needing the light to see by. "Well then how do you know what they want you to do?"

"I just know."

Green threw his hands in the air. "And you don't need anything more then that?"

Spirit looked at him. "Why would I?"

The room seemed to be clear and they pressed through. "This should be it." Vio said, ignoring the conversation, which would go on hold for a while. "Do you see anything?"

The room was a good size and empty. They walked around with Spirit until they found a ledge that looked low enough to climb. "Spirit. You first." Green said, cupping his hands. The light being looked at him without the slightest idea of what to do.

"I'll go first." Vio corrected, taking initiative. He stepped into Green's hands and the other hoisted him up. Spirit followed suit.

"I'm going to stand guard down here." Green called.

It took a bit of climbing, and sidling across a thin ledge but they found a switch. Vio stepped on it, and there was a click. Then the familiar sound of a door opening, and one closing tight. Green drew his sword, but he couldn't see much because it was dark. His nerves sparked as he heard the sounds of feet scuffling, and grunting, and snorting.

Vio strung his bow. "Spirit, get down there and help Green." The Light being didn't hesitate to drop into the dark unknown. He hit the floor with a roll, and his surrounding illuminated. Monsters had flooded the room. Vio let an arrow fly into one of the enemies, dispatching it easily. Green rushed into the circle of sight, and fought, covering Spirit as he finished his landing and drew his own weapon.

Sound of fighting echoed. Vio wondered where the monsters had come from. There hadn't been another room on the map, but to hide so many opponents they had to come from a considerable space. His fingers wrapped around his last arrow and he scowled. He would have to move on to his sword, but that meant losing his over view of the battle. Not that he could see much more then the other two anyway. The creatures had begun realizing that they had to stay out of sight, and he was running low on targets. That would be a problem if the other side produced any projectiles.

He aimed at something that had just entered the light, when something pressed against the underside of his hand, forcing it up. Vio gasped, quickly re-aiming to the side the touch had come from.

"Hey!" Came a dark voice. "Watch where you're pointing that thing. I even brought a gift."

Vio lowered the weapon for half a second before firing at a monster below. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Shadow." He felt the slightest weight on his back and he knew the 'gift' Shadow referred to was more arrows. "I almost mistook you for an enemy."

Shadows hand covered his and forced him to aim somewhere in the darkness. "There's a spellcaster right there. It's going to shoot soon." His voice was close. Vio let the arrow fly trustingly and heard it hit.

"Where else?" He asked quickly. The others hand felt nice against his. He could feel the warmth of Shadows body against his side. Not quite the same warmth as people of the light world. He was warm, but not quite as warm. And his presence felt bigger. Like smoke surrounding him.

It was alluring. Shadow was like a magnet, pulling him closer. It was the one thing that had made him doubt himself when he pretended to join the dark side. His feelings for the shadow. The way Vio wanted to draw him into his arms. The way he wanted Shadow to hold him. The way his heart started to beat faster when Shadow touched him.

However after a second Shadow let go.

The next second there was a bright explosion not to far away. The light provided the perfect opportunity, and Vio dispatched three monsters that just got brushed by the bomb. A few more went off and Vio took advantage of it. "There." Came Shadows voice in the dark. "That's most of them. Let the others handle the rest."

Vio forced himself to smirk. He felt Shadow sit next to him on the ledge, and didn't need sight to feel Shadow looking at him. "You're a little lazy sometimes, you know."

The pale demon laughed. "I prefer to think of it as... practical."

Vio raised an eyebrow. "Call it what you will. It still means lazy."

Greens sword cut through the last of the monsters and he bounced on his toes a while to make sure before looked up. "I think we're good Vio! Come on down."

They both jumped down, Shadow making an effort to stay behind Vio, across for the light source. Vio noticed it immediately, and helped to keep him significantly covered, in a way that wouldn't be too noticeable.

"Shadow?" Green said with surprise. "You finished already?"

The Dark being nodded. "Easy, and the other two have already finished their part. You guys are just so slo~w."

Vio smiled at him. He liked that. Shadows teasing nature. The boys arrogant grin. The almost flirty way he would converse. Just a few of the things he loved about Shadow. "Well, that certainly wasn't my fault." He denied with a shrug. "Green was being overly cautious as usual."

Green glared. "Hey!"

"We should keep going." Spirit said, having no interest in the conversation.

The others looked at him, and then Green grinned. "You're right. We're holding everything up. Lead the way."

…

The six met back in front of the locked door and were not at all startled by the new chest waiting for them. Green opened it and produced a small key that likely would only work in that door. "Here it is!" He chirped.

"Well, then lets get it open." Blue complained. Shadow and Vio exchanged amused smirks.

Green let it slide and opened the door. That room, too, was pitch black. He reached back and grabbed Spirits arm. "After you."

* * *

Well, that was long. The original anyway. I couldn't seem to get where I was going… but I fixed it. As always, tell me what you think. Based on the amount of comments I'm getting, I'm starting to doubt how far I've advanced…

(1) Could you imagine having to do an entire temple by lantern light? Bleh…


End file.
